All Things For God's Glory

I've been meditating on Isaiah 58 for the past few days as I've been lying in a hospital bed, being "rerouted" by the good hand of the Lord. It seems the fasting that the Lord hates is fasting that elevates self (even though we may be saying we are seeking to know the mind of Christ, we may say we are wanting what He wants). Self glory is hideous to God - whatever form it takes. But God clearly states what kind of fast He delights in in verses 5-7 - a fast of humbling our hearts before our Almighty God, and letting the Word of Christ that should be dwelling in us richly pour forth in loving service towards the people around us - not motivated by self-glory, but by God's glory. We are a people who love self and self-glory, and we are so careful in our church circles to not let that self-glory look like self-glory. We are careful to not "smoke or chew or go with those who do"; we are careful to be squeaky clean in our reputations; we are carefu...

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out...I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture...My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."  John 10:1-3, 9, 27-28 By God's grace, I was privileged to see one of the Father's sheep hear His voice and enter into the sheepfold a few weeks ago!  How I rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit to draw this dear lady to Himself!  I will call her Mary for the sake of her privacy.   Mary is 70 years old and has had a very hard life.  She is now in the end-stages o...